Favourite accent

[maryp0ppins]

i also find it fascinating how within a country there can be so many accents that are recognized, but other countries kind of lump them all together, lol. There are many within America, but I think we get lumped into American, Southern American.

British apparently has many, as posted here, but they all just sound the same to me. I just lump it all together as British. Same with some of the others, like Irish, Australian, etc.

I can recognise a few, like New Jersey, deep South and Midwest. I never understand what Americans mean when they make fun of the Canadian accent though. Like it sounds exactly the same!

It depends where they are from in Canada. Some of the regions that are close to the US sound just like us, but other regions further north definitely sounds a lot different. I have some friends from Canada, and sometimes its not even the accent we make fun of, just the words they use all the time. Like they say "eh" a LOT. My one friend has stopped doing it, but it took him a concerted effort to stop saying it after every sentence, as it was just so common for him to say it.

I think your friend was purposely putting the "eh" at the end of every sentence to live up to the stereotype. .... I am Canadian living in the UK and I have never had anyone point out that I say "eh" after every sentence because I don't! Nor do any other Canadians I know here (who come from all over the country) we do say eh sometimes, just like some english people say "yeh" after they ask a question.

 

[maryp0ppins]

It drives me MAD when people say 'I love Scottish accents'. There is no such thing... I live in Fife, which is VERY different to Edinburgh (20 minutes away) to the point it's almost a different language. It's a very different dialect. And then you have the like of the Highlands and Glasgow. As for Aberdeen...

My favourite accents are the Donegal accent, the fact they speak so fast. It's where my husband is from and when he gets drunk or is with his friends it gives me 'flutters'. Also, those from Mississippi. Especially girls. I wish I was from there. The way they say their 'o', like 'both'.

But there is such thing as a scottish accent, just as much as there are australian accents, south african accents etc. All those regional accents grouped together are Scottish accent. If you aren't from scotland you wouldn't be able to tell the difference but you would know the person is scottish. Most people outside of London would not know the difference between a north london and south London accent but you would know it was an English accent.

 

[maryp0ppins]

I don't think I like a particular accent, I do know that my oh's east London one sometimes drives me crazy haha especially when they use Cockney slang!

 

[LoveCakes]

I'm from Northern Ireland and cringe when I hear our accent on the main news. Eugh.

I worked in London for a bit and while I don't have a particularly strong accent I do talk really fast so when I came home I sounded like I'd been slowed down lol

I have family who have lived in australia for 50 years and still haven't lost their accent!

I love the welsh accent though hate the South African one.

 

[sparkle_1979]

My doctor when I had my youngest was Irish .. He was also very hot! Like just bloody gorgeous ... I've even still have a little peek at his fb... Defo a naughty little crush I had lol

Harmless and only very slightly stalkerish so now I'm a sucker for an Irish accent

 

[smileyfaces]

Geordies and Brummies!

 

[jd83]

i also find it fascinating how within a country there can be so many accents that are recognized, but other countries kind of lump them all together, lol. There are many within America, but I think we get lumped into American, Southern American.

British apparently has many, as posted here, but they all just sound the same to me. I just lump it all together as British. Same with some of the others, like Irish, Australian, etc.

I can recognise a few, like New Jersey, deep South and Midwest. I never understand what Americans mean when they make fun of the Canadian accent though. Like it sounds exactly the same!

It depends where they are from in Canada. Some of the regions that are close to the US sound just like us, but other regions further north definitely sounds a lot different. I have some friends from Canada, and sometimes its not even the accent we make fun of, just the words they use all the time. Like they say "eh" a LOT. My one friend has stopped doing it, but it took him a concerted effort to stop saying it after every sentence, as it was just so common for him to say it.

I think your friend was purposely putting the "eh" at the end of every sentence to live up to the stereotype. .... I am Canadian living in the UK and I have never had anyone point out that I say "eh" after every sentence because I don't! Nor do any other Canadians I know here (who come from all over the country) we do say eh sometimes, just like some english people say "yeh" after they ask a question.

That could be, since it did seem to get him attention as being from Canada.

 

[Katerina_]

What an interesting thread I love accents. English is not my first language, and I guess that gives me an opportunity to be less prejudiced. My favourites are Scottish accents, especially the stereotypical one with the unusual apologizing intonations. I think it overlaps a bit with some Northern England accents. If it makes sense at all )) Anyway, I can never really listen to what people with this accent are saying, because I start listening to it like I would to music. I also like how people in "Shetland" series talk.

In general, I just find it amazing how many accents there are in the UK and how they survived even now, when people move a lot etc.

I wonder what everyone thinks about foreign accents?

 

[BabyMamma93]

i think the italian accent is cute, esp on Gino DeCampo i really dont like the welsh accent, hope no one takes this to offence but i used to watch that thing on MTV... the thing like geordie shore.. anyway and now when i hear it it just reminds me of slack and tacky girls..

in regards to foreign ones, i love the spanish language/accent.

 

[Pearls18]

What an interesting thread I love accents. English is not my first language, and I guess that gives me an opportunity to be less prejudiced. My favourites are Scottish accents, especially the stereotypical one with the unusual apologizing intonations. I think it overlaps a bit with some Northern England accents. If it makes sense at all )) Anyway, I can never really listen to what people with this accent are saying, because I start listening to it like I would to music. I also like how people in "Shetland" series talk.

In general, I just find it amazing how many accents there are in the UK and how they survived even now, when people move a lot etc.

I wonder what everyone thinks about foreign accents?

I'm terrible at pin pointing foreign accents, as stupid as it sounds I think every with a foreign accent sounds similar for some reason I think a lot of Europeans speaking English sound American, I have a Dutch and a Swiss friend and I thought they were both American when I met them I love accents though and I always like to ask where they're from but worry it sounds a bit pushy sometimes. What is your first language?

Oh I used to work with a Brazilian who has only been speaking English for a few years and I loooooved the way she would pronounce words, she would say them in ways I didn't even know was possible lol.

 

[RaspberryK]

I love David Attenborough's voice, I could sleep with him just talking in the background.
Xx

 

[Katerina_]

I'm terrible at pin pointing foreign accents, as stupid as it sounds I think every with a foreign accent sounds similar for some reason I think a lot of Europeans speaking English sound American, I have a Dutch and a Swiss friend and I thought they were both American when I met them I love accents though and I always like to ask where they're from but worry it sounds a bit pushy sometimes. What is your first language?

I think it might be because of the way most non-native speakers say "r" sound. Most British people sort of swallow it ) I love how Scandinavians speak English. It seems like a very neutral "accentless" version of English to me.

My native language is Russian, but most my learning of English happened in California. It's funny, because after 2.5 years in England I definitely picked up lots of mainly Southern/London words and sounds, however, as soon as I meet an American I switch back to the Californian way of talking )

BTW, I think it's OK to ask people where are they from. In fact, in the States people ask each other about their origins all the time. It was very strange to me that I am almost never asked where I'm from here in England. What I mean to say, is that I doubt that anyone would be offended if you ask especially foreigners, because we're used to these questions.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I love David Attenborough's voice, I could sleep with him just talking in the background.
Xx

Me too. So well spoken. I think accents are cool but I do think its nice to hear a well spoken voice.

 

[dgirllamius]

My OH sounds very British when he speaks English - when I first met him he sounded very German but now not so much. He has picked up so much slang from me that while he was studying in school someone asked him if he was British as his English was very good.

When he speaks German though he doesn't have much of an accent. Maybe it's because I'm used to hearing him but everyone else who I speak to her have very obvious, strong German accents. It's so funny when they talk between each other, it sounds so aggressive and sounds like they're arguing with each other but it's just normal talk. I don't know what dialect they speak in this region (I think it's hessischer but I'm not sure), it's not quite hochdeustch (high German, it's like the absolute perfect German with no slang etc) but it's a lot easier to understand someone here than say someone from bayern.

 

[jd83]

I also find it fascinating when people pick up an accent that's not their own just by being around it long enough. I think some people are more susceptible to that, as well. My sister moved to Kentucky for a few years after having her oldest daughter, and picked up a very strong Kentucky accent. I couldn't understand how, for the life of me, since she'd lived in Ohio most of her life. And then it went away when she moved back home and had been home a while.

 

[Noodlebear]

Is it weird if I say I just like my local accent? Lol! My ex is from Oldham so I grew quite fond of his too. Other than that I'm not really fussed by them tbh.

I used to quite like the Scottish accent but I've just got back from a holiday there and must admit that I couldn't understand some people!

 

[BabyMamma93]

I also find it fascinating when people pick up an accent that's not their own just by being around it long enough. I think some people are more susceptible to that, as well. My sister moved to Kentucky for a few years after having her oldest daughter, and picked up a very strong Kentucky accent. I couldn't understand how, for the life of me, since she'd lived in Ohio most of her life. And then it went away when she moved back home and had been home a while.

my auntie, uncle and their kids moved to Newcastle, their kids dont know their age exact but one is about 12? the other 13-14 i think. both of them have the accent real strong, you would actually think they are from newcastle, my auntie and uncle still sound the same though

 

[misspriss]

Pretty much any accent different from where I'm from, I love them, it's like different flavored speech

I have no idea what someone was talking about how girls from Mississippi say the "o" in both, I guarantee I probably say it the same way (maybe to a lesser extent, but we are neighbor states) but for the life of me the way I say "both" sounds normal to me! LOL

 

[lhancock90]

I love Morello's accent in OITNB but have no idea what it is

She's Italian - american, I love her accent too and Latino accents

I think her accent in the show is supposed to be twanged with a Boston accent aswell? I remember reading an article about how amazing she is at it.


I like a New York American accent, its so lovely! On this side of the pond i don't think i especially love any Although i am fond of the Irish one!

 

[dani_tinks]

I like Irish accents, my husband's work colleague has a very strong irish accent and a wicked sense of humour and I love hearing him talk.
I'm originally from Kent and i'm told I have a very southern accent, which I didn't even know existed!